OSCE hosts annual meeting on combating human trafficking for consular officials in Ukraine

KYIV, 19 June 2015 - A roundtable discussion to promote co-operation between the Ukrainian authorities and Kyiv-based embassies and consulates to prevent human trafficking was held today with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

The event brought together representatives from the visa sections of foreign embassies and consulates in Ukraine with the aim of increasing their awareness of trafficking and to discuss the role of embassies and consulates in combating this crime.

Particular attention was paid to co-operation with the law enforcement authorities, including the specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, the State Migration Service and the State Border Guard Service, especially in light of the new human trafficking risks brought on by the current situation in Ukraine.

“The main purpose of our annual event is to update consular officials on the new human trafficking trends in Ukraine and response efforts by authorities and NGOs,” said Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “This is an opportunity to enhance co-operation among all the stakeholders, including visa sections of foreign embassies and consulates located in Ukraine, in order to improve assistance to victims of this crime, or to the people who are in risk of being trafficked.”

The meeting was attended by the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, who emphasized the importance of identifying victims of human trafficking and prevention work among communities of internally displaced people  and in eastern Ukraine.

Ambassador Jarbussynova said: “The Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings recognises the need to undertake initiatives to better understand the situation on the ground and to prevent human trafficking as a consequence of the current crisis situation in Ukraine. In 2015, in co-operation with the Project Co-ordinator, we launched a training programme for the staff of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine on how to monitor trends related to the trafficking of human brings in the context of a crisis situation.”

The meeting was organized at the request of the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy in its capacity as a National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator. The meeting is part of a project aimed at helping to prevent trafficking in human beings and cybercrime and to prosecute those responsible.